Carole's Monday: The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons

Author: Paullina Simons

Narrator: James Langton

Title: The Bronze Horseman

(The Bronze Horseman #1)

Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance

Pages: Audiobook

Published: July 17th 2000

Where I Got It: My shelf (Audible)

The golden skies, the translucent twilight, the white nights, all hold the promise of youth, of love, of eternal renewal. The war has not yet touched this city of fallen grandeur, or the lives of two sisters, Tatiana and Dasha Metanova, who share a single room in a cramped apartment with their brother and parents. Their world is turned upside down when Hitler's armies attack Russia and begin their unstoppable blitz to Leningrad.

Yet there is light in the darkness. Tatiana meets Alexander, a brave young officer in the Red Army. Strong and self-confident, yet guarding a mysterious and troubled past, he is drawn to Tatiana—and she to him. Starvation, desperation, and fear soon grip their city during the terrible winter of the merciless German siege. Tatiana and Alexander's impossible love threatens to tear the Metanova family apart and expose the dangerous secret Alexander so carefully protects—a secret as devastating as the war itself—as the lovers are swept up in the brutal tides that will change the world and their lives forever.

I picked this up because it sounded like a good tragic romance and it fits one of the reading challenges. 

The story follows Tatiana and Alexander in Soviet Russia. Tatiana meets Alexander who is a young officer in the Red Army. They are drawn together, but he is dating Dasha who is Tatiana's sister and he has secrets. War is coming and things are changing. 

I knew this was going to be long. Heck 20 something hours of audio and like 900 pages. I was prepared for that but I wasn't prepared for how long everything took. Yes, I loved following the two fall in love slowly...but it took forever. Everything took forever. It dragged on and on but I was invested in the characters and dealt with it. But oh.my.god stop describing ice cream. I wish I had read this instead of listening so I could skim some parts easier. 

Poor Tatiana. Everyone sucks. Her parents are jerks and dumb. Her sister is rude. Her friend was a jerk. Alexander loves her and all, but he is dumb too. Gah, I wanted to shake Alexander. WHY ARE YOU SO DUMB????? He obviously loves Tatiana but he keeps on dating Dasha....okay. Idiot boy. *grumbles* I just want Tatiana to be happy darnit!

This was really sad in a lot of spots even though Alexander is a dummy, he really loves her and it melted my cold heart. Oooo that ending. My poor heart! I know there are two more books, but still. 

Oooo I love the narrator. He did well here like normal. But even he couldn't fix how slow this was. Sad. 

Now....do I want to read/listen to the next one? I don't know. Maybe someday. 

In the end, I kept going because I was invested in the characters and I wanted to know what was going to happen. My only and biggest issue was not because it was long, but because it dragged on and took forever for things to happen. AND there are two more books after this. I'm undecided. We shall see. I'm going to stamp this with 2 stars. Just too slow for me. 

Russia

Carole's Sunday Review: Gold Digger - Rebecca Rosenberg

Author: Rebecca Rosenberg 

Title: Gold Digger

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: ebook

Expected publication: May 28th 2019

Where I Got It: My shelf (Given to me by the author/publisher for my honest and unbiased opinion)

One look at Baby Doe and you know she was meant to be a legend! She was just twenty years old when she came to Colorado to work a gold mine with her new husband. Little did she expect that she’d be abandoned and pregnant and left to manage the gold mine alone. But that didn’t stop her!

She moved to Leadville and fell in love with a married prospector, twice her age. Horace Tabor struck the biggest silver vein in history, divorced his wife and married Baby Doe. Though his new wife was known for her beauty, her fashion, and even her philanthropy, she was never welcomed in polite society.

Discover how the Tabors navigated the worlds of wealth, power, politics, and scandal in the wild days of western mining.

I was instantly drawn in by the cover and then the summary. That is a lovely cover and the story sounds sooooooo good. 

The story follows Baby Doe,  born Elizabeth McCourt, who would become a legend of Colorado! Things do not start off so great. She thinks she finds her true love but is abandoned pregnant and no money. However, she kept pushing. Things happen and she meets Tabor who would move the Earth for her. 

I felt so bad for Baby Doe. She was treated like crap by that jerkface! Ugh. He didn't deserve her. I'm glad Baby Doe realized this and got a divorce even though it went against her religion and society. But he didn't love her and she deserved better for sure. 

Honestly? I wasn't a huge Tabor fan at first. It took eons for me to really warm up to him. Maybe it is because I didn't trust him? I'm not sure but I was constantly worried that he was going to hurt her. She really deserved happiness! I adored her. She was not only beautiful, but she was smart and strong. 

I liked Billy at first, but grrrr he was a snot. 

The writing was beautiful! I had enjoyed a previous novel by the author a while back and adored the writing style. This was the same. Simply lovely. It really hooks you into the story and characters. 

The ending was cliff-hanger-ish...but not at the same time. I liked how it ended. You can leave as is or move forward. It was very nice, but it did make me sad at the same time. Oooo the feels. 

I had no major issues at all. I really enjoyed the story. I highly recommend it for historical fiction lovers. I'll stamp this with 5 stars. 

Carole's Sunday Review: Lady of the Eternal City - Kate Quinn

Author: Kate Quinn

Narrator: Elizabeth Wiley

Title: Lady of the Eternal City (The Empress of Rome #4)

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: Audiobook

Published: March 3rd 2015

Where I Got It: My shelf (Audible)

Elegant, secretive Sabina may be Empress of Rome, but she still stands poised on a knife’s edge. She must keep the peace between two deadly enemies: her husband Hadrian, Rome’s brilliant and sinister Emperor; and battered warrior Vix, who is her first love. But Sabina is guardian of a deadly secret: Vix’s beautiful son Antinous has become the Emperor’s latest obsession.

Empress and Emperor, father and son will spin in a deadly dance of passion, betrayal, conspiracy, and war. As tragedy sends Hadrian spiraling into madness, Vix and Sabina form a last desperate pact to save the Empire. But ultimately, the fate of Rome lies with an untried girl, a spirited redhead who may just be the next Lady of the Eternal City . . . 

Oh no! The last book in the series. I have been dreading this day but also really excited to see everything come to a conclusion. 

Sabina and Vix are back. So much has happened. So many years. Sabina is now the empress and her husband, Hadrian, is not all sane. Smart and brilliant, but the man has a lot of demons. Especially after a certain event occurs. Vix just wants to live a simple life but his fate seems tied to the empress and emperor.  The fate of the empire may rest on the shoulders of a young girl. 

This was loooonnnnngggggg. Super long, but I didn't mind it really. I actually enjoyed it. I didn't want it to end tbh. I love Sabina and Vix. I also grew to adore Annia. There are even bits of me that like Hadrian. The man needed serious therapy. He is so smart, but he lacks normal human emotion. I do really encourage you to read the others of the series. I felt like they all built up to this one. I would at least read book 3 in order to really appreciate Vix and Sabina. 

The format was still a little odd for me. Everyone's POVs were in one format, but Vix was 1st person. I forgive this and understand it especially when we learn that Vix is writing his memoirs SOOO it does give a reason why the author did what she did. 

Other than that, I adored this book. I think it was one of my favorites of the series. It made me cry. It made me cheer. It gave me all the feels! 

I did listen to the audio of this and I really loved it. The narrator really did a good job. I think she was the same from the last book. But yes, I loved her voices. Every character (and mind you...there are a LOT of characters) had their own voices. Kuddos there. 

Overall, this was really good. It's hard not to give away some spoilers. But this made me feel! This ended perfectly and I can't wait to read more by this author. She is one of my favorites. She really knows how to get you hooked and absorbed. Worth the read. I'll give this 5 stars since the ending gave a good reason why the format was the way it was. 

Got it, thanks!Thanks, I'll check them out.Thank you!

Carole's Sunday Review. Marilyn, my Marilyn - Art Johnson

Author:  Art Johnson

Title: Marilyn, My Marilyn

Genre: Historical Fiction & Mystery

Pages: ebook

Published: May 10th 2018

Where I Got It: My shelf (Netgalley)

It’s the summer of ’62, and twenty-five-year-old journalist Rory Long receives a phone call at quitting time: it’s Marilyn Monroe. She wants to personally compliment him on a review he wrote of the new collected works of poet Carl Sandburg. 

She then enlists the cub reporter to tell her story; she doesn’t want to be remembered as a joke. When they meet, Rory is captivated by her knowledge of classical music, art and literature. As their relationship intensifies, Rory experiences a coming-of-age inspired by this side of Marilyn few know, and at the same time, Marilyn is influenced by Rory to begin reassessing her own life. 

But when Rory’s boss assigns him to write an article on the unsolved murder of the Black Dahlia, paranoia and tension mount. File papers go missing, then mysteriously return. An unknown covert organization watches Marilyn Monroe’s every move, thinking she may hold a clue to the Dahlia case. And just when Rory can feel he’s getting closer to the truth, J. Edgar Hoover himself intervenes to request that Rory be reassigned. Rapid changes are about to unfold in the land of the free, and they may be more costly than even Rory can surmise. 

In Art Johnson’s latest novel, he continues his style of combining historical fact with fiction to offer the reader a steady stream of drama, tension and humor. Marilyn, My Marilyn reveals fresh insight into the most iconic woman of modern times, not as a biography, but with a view of a nation which often buries the truth with its dead. 

Everyone knows the face and the name even today years and years after her death. Marilyn Monroe is considered one of the greatest beauties of the modern era. She is also considered one of the greatest mysteries and tragedies. I truly blame Hollywood for her demise. So many blame the government or other entities for her death. No. I flat out blame Hollywood and the paparazzi for her death. If they didn't physically do it; they drove her to do it. 

Sorry...back to the book. 

The story follows Rory who is a new and young journalist. A certain article of his draws the attention to Marilyn who reaches out to him. She wants to give him an exclusive interview. She wants the world to know she isn't some dumb, sexy blond. She has a brain and is a person like everyone else. Rory, of course, agrees to meet her and write her story. We get to see a side of Marilyn that was a rarity.

I really enjoyed this story. I know it is all fiction, but I really hope there is an interview out there was covered up and hidden that shows the truth behind Marilyn. How cool would that be? 

I like Rory and I really liked Marilyn in this. She was just so sad. Poor girl. 

There is also a murder mystery going on in the background that Rory is working on researching. It fit a little bit and then at the end you really get to see the connection. It was a nice add-on, but it really wasn't necessary for the story. But it show that even though Rory is now a close friend to Marilyn, he still has work to do to pay for his bills at the newspaper. 

In the end, I really enjoyed this. It was a nice what-if. There is more to the star and we have seen glimpses of this throughout the years, but wouldn't it be nice if there was a secret interview none of knew about? I highly recommend this. I'll stamp it with 5 stars. 

Carole's Sunday Review_ Freefall

Author: Lily Iona MacKenzie

Title: Freefall - A Divine Comedy

Genre: Women's Lit, Historical, Fiction, Comedy

Pages: ebook

Expected Publication: January 1st 2019

Where I Got It: My shelf (Given to me by the author/publisher for my honest and unbiased opinion)

Tillie Bloom, a wacky installation artist, who reconnects with three former friends—women she had hung out with in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s—in a four-day reunion at Whistler, B.C. The new intimacy they experience prompts them to celebrate their approaching sixtieth birthdays together, as well as the millennium, in Venice, Italy, where two thirds of the book take place. During this time, secrets surface, their stories binding them closer together.

As we come to know them better, the women’s identities shift, enlarging, becoming more complex. Each one’s life has taken a different direction. Tillie and Daddy have both moved to the States from Canada, where Tillie has given herself over to art. Daddy—once a radical feminist/hippie and now a lesbian—has turned into a successful real estate saleswoman. Moll, tres sportif, a housewife and mother of three, spends her free time exploring the Canadian outdoors. Sibyl—also married and a shrewd bookkeeper addicted to 4000-piece jigsaw puzzles, cigarettes, and wine—has a cabin in Whistler, a home in Vancouver, and a flat in Venice.

While Sibyl, Moll, and Daddy assume they’re in Venice to vacation and deepen their relationships, Tillie has a hidden agenda: she intends to crash the Biennale, an art extravaganza scheduled every other year, hoping to find a larger audience for her art. But first she must find the ideal place to construct her installation that features casts she made of her three friends’ bodies as well as other zany pieces.

Soon after they arrive in Venice, they visit the church of the Santa Maria Della Salute where Tillie and a lascivious priest, Father Lazarus (a half-Ethiopian dwarf), fall for each other. Later, Tillie thinks Frank, her former photographer lover, who recently died, has returned as a pigeon, much like the one that made a dramatic appearance at his wake. It pursues her through the streets of Venice, complicating her developing relationship with the priest and offering some wonderfully comic moments.

Tillie often gets lost in the maze of streets, but she resurfaces sooner or later, intrigued by the various reflective surfaces and how they participate in the city’s love affair with light. These reflections counter the pull of darker forces, causing the four women to reevaluate themselves and their lives. Tillie, in particular, experiences a new understanding of herself that propels her into a new age, not unlike what she had experienced in the early 1960s.

I was drawn in by the cover and the title. After I read the summary, I had no choice but to give it a read. 

The story follows Tillie and her three friends. They have been friends for many, many years. Like everyone, Life can get in the way and they drift apart for a while. They decide to get together for a 4-day reunion. We get to see them in the 50s and 60s and more recently. It was fun to see how they have changed. 

I liked Tillie. She was an interesting character. It was fun to her morph and change throughout the stories. It was cute the little romance she gets. He was fun. I liked him a lot. A very unique character indeed. 

The rest of the girls were fun to read about too. The name Daddy bugged me though. I kept thinking that someone's dad was there. However, I think Daddy was one of my favorites of the girls. I liked them all, don't get me wrong, but she was intriguing and she made me chuckle. 

I enjoyed the jumping between time. It was done well and I never got lost or confused. It was a good way to learn and understand our girls. I always get a little worried, but it worked well. 

It did take a bit for me to really get into the story. The beginning dragged a little bit. However, once we really got to the meat and potatoes of learning about the girls was when I got into the story fully. It was worth the wait for sure!

Overall, I liked it. It was a nice people story. The friends were interesting and it was fun learning about their pasts and what they grew to be. Tillie is our main character, but her friends certainly took the spotlight from time-to-time. It was fun! I recommend this to anyone who likes a good people story. I'll stamp this with 4 stars. 

Friday Night Horror Carole Style: The Undertaker and his Pals

Film Title: The Undertaker and His Pals

Length: 1h and 3 min

Released: (1966)

Genre:  Horror, Comedy 

Rating: R

Where I Got It: YouTube

SUMMARY:

An undertaker and his two friends, who are restaurant owners, drum up business by going out on the town and killing people; the restaurant owners use parts of the bodies for their menu, and the undertaker gets paid by the families to bury the remainder. Their racket goes awry when 2 detectives suspect that something isn't quite kosher.

TRAILER:
N/A

REVIEW:

So my friend decided this was the movie of the evening to watch. I like horror films and I like horror films with some comedy. They do not list this as a parody. In all honesty though…it really was a comedy with some bloody parts and some creepy men riding around. 

The story follows these three men who are hunting people down for their restaurant and morgue services. Honestly…a clever idea that ensures money made and money saved. Clever, brutal men. 

But yes, this was pretty bloody and scary, especially for the time period. I believe it was in the 1960s that this came out. I found it more creepy and funny at the same time. 

The film doesn’t take itself too seriously. There is melodrama, ridiculous scenes, stupid jokes, and hilarious moments. Ooooo Leg of Lamb….my goodness. The most hilarious part was when one of the men was chasing a girl up some stairs. I won’t say more, but I was on the floor!

A silly, but creepy old-time movie. A good one for Halloween if you need a lighter horror film that will make you chuckle. I’ll give this 5 stars. Why? It was stupid, but perfect in every way! 

What is there really to say? I am of course a lover of books, poetry, movies, plays, and music. Nothing is better than enjoying a cup of tea and immersing yourself in another world and forgetting about the world for just a little bit. My cat and chinchillas keep me entertained over here in Michigan (the mitten state of the USA). I'm game for any genre of book or movie. You can find me over at Carole Rae's Random Ramblings.

Carole's Sunday Review: Tiffany Blues

Author: M.J. Rose 

Title: Tiffany Blues

Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, & Romance

Pages: ebook

Published: Aug 7th. 2018

Where I Got It: My Shelf (Given to me by the author/publisher)

New York, 1924. Twenty‑four‑year‑old Jenny Bell is one of a dozen burgeoning artists invited to Louis Comfort Tiffany’s prestigious artists’ colony. Gifted and determined, Jenny vows to avoid distractions and romantic entanglements and take full advantage of the many wonders to be found at Laurelton Hall.

But Jenny’s past has followed her to Long Island. Images of her beloved mother, her hard-hearted stepfather, waterfalls, and murder, and the dank hallways of Canada’s notorious Andrew Mercer Reformatory for Women overwhelm Jenny’s thoughts, even as she is inextricably drawn to Oliver, Tiffany’s charismatic grandson.

As the summer shimmers on, and the competition between the artists grows fierce as they vie for a spot at Tiffany’s New York gallery, a series of suspicious and disturbing occurrences suggest someone knows enough about Jenny’s childhood trauma to expose her.

Supported by her closest friend Minx Deering, a seemingly carefree socialite yet dedicated sculptor, and Oliver, Jenny pushes her demons aside. Between stolen kisses and stolen jewels, the champagne flows and the jazz plays on until one moonless night when Jenny’s past and present are thrown together in a desperate moment, that will threaten her promising future, her love, her friendships, and her very life.

I've been dying to read this book since I first read the summary and seen the cover. I also got really excited when I started seeing the reviews come out for this one. 

Jenny has her past and secrets. She is just trying to move forward and do what she loves. She meets Minx and Oliver. Things seem find, but like we all know...secrets have a way of coming back to bite us in the romps. 

I enjoyed the mystery. I was worried and had no idea what was going on or who was causing it. I had my suspicions and I was right, but I was never 100% sure. I especially did NOT see the twist coming at the end there. That was a shocker BUT it did make sense honestly. 

The beginning was rough for me to really get into. It took a while and I was worried, but after a certain event, I was hooked. I had to see what would happen next especially to Jenny. I rooted for her even though I was unsure of her myself. I did not like Minx a bit, but you do grow worried for her at one point. She is like that family member you really don't like, but you still care for them. I adored Oliver, but he made me mad there. 

This was a pretty good read. I enjoyed the mystery and the characters. It took a LONG time for me to really settle into the story, but after a certain event I could not put this down. 

AND LOOK AT THAT COVER! Beautiful!!!

What else to say?

Well - the ending I had a love-hate with. The twist and big reveal was crazy good! I was upset by what happened and I was annoyed, BUT it honestly made the most sense and it was the best course of action. Life is not fair. However, I did think the solution was too easy after the reveal. However, it was justified and it made sense...see? I'm torn. 

In the end, I enjoyed this story. It was written well. The mystery was intriguing. The characters interesting. I recommend it for mystery and historical lovers. The romance is there, but doesn't overtake the story. I'll give this 4 stars overall. A good one for sure.